Harry Sawyers

The guys behind South Park might laugh a lot during the process, but the making of the weekly animated show is a brutal endeavor. This documentary, released last fall, joins creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone after the debut of their Broadway show "The Book of Mormon," just as the pair have returned to LA to work on the TV show's 15th season premiere. You have to admire the intense work ethic driving the show's breakneck production cycle.

"It looks like it's going to be...not a 5 am night," Parker says at one point. "But more like a 9 am or 10 am night." The day before the episode ships, he's explaining, the crew will be up all night, working past dawn the next day, to get the scenes written, the voices recorded, the animation finalized and the content transferred to the East Coast.

In spite of all the supporting illustrators, writers, and technicians, it really is mostly Parker and Stone running the show. The story of this single episode's genesis will resonate with anyone who has worked on a team accustomed to long hours and a relentless pace. Even if you're going to create something hilarious and silly, it takes a hell of a lot of hard work to make it good.